Sexual abuse of minors is a serious issue and one that we at Safehive are committed to stopping in churches. Consider these statistics:
- 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys will be sexually abused before the age of 18 – only 1 in 10 will tell.
- 86% of all sexual abuse reported to law enforcement was committed by someone known to the victim.
- Child sex offenders tend to be white; married or divorced; have more than a high school education; and have stable employment.
- Abusers groom both the child and the adults. This is why, so often, people side with the abuser.
The Problem with Background Checks Alone
We affirm that background checks are a necessary first step. But, background checks alone will do very little to deter a child predator. Robust education awareness education for ALL of your volunteers. Here is why:
- Child molesters will, on average, abuse children for 15 years before getting caught by the criminal justice system.
- Only 1 in 10 of those accused or caught are actually convicted.
- Your background check will only pick up a very small percentage of abusers who have been caught, tried and convicted by the courts.
Safehive acts like “Neighborhood Watch” against abusers.
Consider the fact that abusers pick their targets very intentionally. They look for weak security systems and weak children. If a molester is trying to gain access to children by volunteering in your church, they WILL think twice after being mandated to take the sexual abuse class. They will know that all of the people and leaders in your church are ready to spot them and their tactics. They will move on.
Overview of Safehive’s Sexual Abuse Awareness & Prevention Class.
The Sexual Abuse Awareness & Prevention class was created in partnership with Winged Hope. All of our curriculum has been reviewed and approved by a team of experts who devote their lives to advocating for children and families suffering from sexual abuse. Here is an example of one of the videos from the curriculum:
The following are all of the topics that are covered in detail in the class:
- Why Churches – Hard Targets vs. Soft Targets
- Understanding the victims of sexual abuse
- Short Term Effects of Abuse
- Long Term Effects of Abuse
- Understanding the Abusers – Who Are They
- Abusers Are Not Strangers
- Peer-to-Peer Abuse
- How Molesters Gain Access to Children – The Grooming Process
- Boundary Pushing
- How Molesters Groom the Gatekeepers
- The Final Step of Grooming – Maintaining Silence
- Protecting the Children in Your Church
- How to Respond to a Disclosure